Former adviser to Cameron, Phillip Blond, accuses Johnson administration of having 'NO DIRECTION'

'This was the moment to reinvent conservatism... and they've squandered it'

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[saladinbob]

Standing ovation for this man. He actually gets it.

[danieldecides]

Tremendous show sir - this guest was identifying some of the issues that relate to policy - that is correct and I think personality is also part of it but less so and stated by Dr Liam Fox not to be mutually exclusive in an administration/leadership.

I think that your show was very decent and the energy story was massive and it will become so as autumn and winter draw closer.

That I think (energy for example) is my point - the substance behind all this Westminster drama actually has serious consequences and trillions of pounds tied up in markets and currency values and the masses I would suggest aligned to your guest Mr Blond the former advisor who spoke about - ‘dysfunctional state’ and I think that is correct and I think your guest who spoke about the polls and Labour having the wind in their sails was interesting also.

The problem with the argument that goes something like - imagine if Labour had a charismatic leader like Blair - they would already be 20/25 points ahead - ‘you are lucky you have Starmer’ - is that the incumbent is a massive personality and surely anybody in Westminster must fathom that that alone has achieved what exactly?

You need ideas and Dr Liam Fox spoke of some ‘internal coalition’ - which I personally think is doomed and I think it is doomed anywhere tried - not least the Labour Party - you need to have a core belief or instinct or ethos and just trying to mop up votes for the next election has been going on for years and led the country into an utter mess and I think disenchantment - the fear of the Tories is being annihilated at an election for being ‘Conservative’ and Labour by equal measure fear being battered at the ballot box for being a Labour Party in policy also - they then fight over 50 odd marginal seats and it goes on and on - it has become unsustainable and NF is I think potentially correct in his analysis of a low turnout and I think it is feasible that could be a trend actually going forward.

Anybody who produces a well-thought through policy agenda that targets an uptick in the economy from the current base and if I had my way - chooses something to do and then does it - pick an area of Government and just focus on that as part of your legacy as leader and do something as opposed to trying to be this bloody broad church that caters to nobody.

The DWP and opportunities (accessibility) for everyone is an area that is one area I think that taken together should seek to abolish perpetual insecure and utterly meaningless ‘jobs’ that end up with people perpetually on benefits of one kind or another never being financially independent - that to me requires a new way of thinking about how money is spent and what is the objective in the first instance?

Is it to wave a silky prompt sheet around the commons cheering for ‘full employment’ - or is the objective to follow through those ‘statistics’ - for the people that represent such numbers and actually ask the question - is this person now engaged in employment or studying or an enterprise start up - X amount of time down the track?

Has this person had ‘gaps’ of months here and there out of any employment or training and if so - why?

To even begin such an inquiry - you would soon discover the truth - these ‘jobs’ are insecure - low paid - mind numbing or back breaking and usually both and serve no purpose at all in the long term wellbeing of the individual compelled (financially through debt and impoverishment in their household) to fill them - you then transform the counterproductive DWP and invest in people to have utility that serves a real purpose and redirect money as opposed to scaremongering about unsustainable budget increases and watch as people finally cease ‘gaps’ and become stable and financially independent and I think that ends the cycle of benefit recipients in the conventional sense - in work benefits are something else.

That is a scintilla of what is missing from an administration that is incapacitated through an outrageous litany of distractions and frankly I think the focus needs to be internally at home with a domestic progressive positive agenda that makes the working poor actually feel and think big again - that is what should be going on.

[jimthompson]

To get to the top job you only need for your department to not screw up too badly. The system doesn’t reward initiative or reform. Where is the incentive to improve the country? When did anyone try since Gove in Education? Lansley in health? It’s slow structural decline while the politicians tell us it’s fine, until we fail. No wonder we’re in decline.

[PDRich]

But didn't Pincher try to force a Man-Date as well???
Which is what caused this mess in the first place...

[danieldecides]

One interesting comment for your consideration Nigel - I spoke to a security guard recently and he said his contract was changing to accommodate other staff and reduced to 35 hours I think.

He was doing 60 hours at least and overtime and he told me - ‘they don’t want us earning too much - anymore’ - those words left his mouth!!!!

Imagine this on a national scale - this is the sort of ‘thinking’ that has been going on - here we have a guy that is deemed to have too much disposable income and so the state can create 3 jobs (when only one is needed) which looks great In the figures for ‘full employment’ - this leads to a productivity crisis and coteries are cemented and hostilities inside the workplace fester - one group does the work and the other coterie is basically carried no different to you carrying a bag.

I think we should examine precisely what these jobs are and how many hours that offer and how many are subsidised by the state?

It is a fake economic model that is entirely fiddled for short term political considerations - the jobs should be paying an individual enough money to service their lifestyle or if not - the worker takes a second job - none of that is going on as the jobs offer 25/30 hours and low pay - generally speaking and the state tops up workers to the tune of billions of pounds.

Why not spent that money on something longer term that extends to an individual having a skill set that provides genuine security in the economy through utility they can provide having acquired ‘real’ skills and so that is my point and I think it is not how much money we spend per say rather how we spend it and everything I just said relates to a decay in the DWP and I think we are desperately seeking new ideas and fresh thinking and that I think is interesting to consider.